Joyce said he was encouraged by discussions with Energy Minister Chris Bowen and his attempts to set up a net-zero council for the country’s aviation industry. Queensland announced the country’s first sustainable aviation fuel biorefinery in April, but construction won’t begin until 2023, and it’s unlikely to be operational until 2025 at the earliest.

“To submit your shareholders and employers to change, you need the right settings around government... It’s critical,” Joyce said.

Voluntary carbon offsetting programs are used by many airlines globally but rarely by passengers. About 10 per cent of Qantas passengers offset the carbon cost of their seat, which is significantly higher than the global average of one per cent.

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Another aviation decarbonisation measure is the electrification of aircraft. A recent partnership between domestic carrier Regional Express and Australian aviation start-up Dovetail Electric Aviation hopes to electrify Rex’s fleet.

Rex’s deputy chairman, John Sharp, said last week the operating cost of short flights would drop as much as 50 per cent if electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft were embraced.

Under the partnership, the carrier will start trials in 2024 using King Air 200 planes before testing its fleet of Saab 340s. Airbus is also trying to develop a hydrogen aircraft, which is expected to be ready in 2025.

Joyce said the size of the battery required to power an aircraft on a long-haul domestic flight meant it was not a viable solution for Qantas and investing in hydrogen aircraft came with extensive storing requirements.

“Sustainable aviation fuel is the best way forward. Its problem is that the policy settings aren’t here the way they are at California and Europe. We need to treat it like we did solar power and provide incentives.”

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